1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crossword puzzle game and more specifically, to a competitive crossword puzzle game to be played by two or more players or teams of players.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Crossword puzzles are well known throughout the world as a constructive method of both entertainment and education. These crossword puzzles come in a wide variety of complexity and degrees of difficulty and almost every individual can find a crossword puzzle suited to their level of skill and intelligence.
In its earliest form, the crossword puzzle was provided as a children's game in the early part of the century. In the 1920's the crossword puzzle was expanded to its present form and featured in major newspapers throughout the United States and in foreign countries. However, the traditional crossword puzzle is generally solved by a single individual or perhaps two individuals cooperatively filling out the same puzzle. This type of activity does not include competition between different individuals and does not provide for the crossword puzzle being used as a spectator game.
There have been numerous attempts in the past to use the basic structure of a crossword puzzle to provide for a competitive game. Most of these prior art attempts, although sharing some similarities with a crossword puzzle, do not truly form a crossword puzzle game in which clues or definitions form the basis for generating an interlocking pattern of words. Other types of game equipment do provide for the game incorporating a true crossword puzzle, but with the equipment either being cumbersome in nature or lacking certain aspects which would create an exciting and stimulating competitive game for a number of players.
As an example of prior art attempts to provide a competitive crossword puzzle game, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,106,773 and 4,209,173. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,773, a crossword puzzle game is disclosed wherein contestants take turns filling in the crossword puzzle and with each contestant using a different color marker. In addition, the length of each turn is measured by a timer. Values are assigned to each square in the crossword puzzle and the winner of the game is determined at the end of play by adding up the values assigned to each square filled in correctly in each color. This puzzle game does not include any element of chance and there is provision for confirming whether a word portion of the puzzle has been filled in correctly.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,173, a puzzle game is disclosed wherein the players themselves form the crossword puzzle as the game is played. This structure makes a very slow game and also, this game does not include any element of chance.
Other prior art games also share some of the limitations of the above two described games and include even further limitations which hamper their effectiveness as a competitive game for a plurality of players.